New diagnosis

[LF2023]

Hello! My 4 year old daughter was just recently diagnosed with ADHD. I’m in awe of all of the resources and support available to parents- with that said there is almost too much information to sort through. Our biggest challenge right now is aggression and the inability to self regulate and calm herself down. I’m very nervous about stimulants especially at her age, but have heard there are non stimulants that have been proven to be effective we are just waiting to further discuss with the doctor. Has anyone had any success with any type of all natural supplements/ daily vitamins or tips on how to help manage the aggression and teach self soothing? Any advice is gladly welcomed. Thank you! 😊

[Momandnana]

I spent a lot of money in the past on natural products like supplements, oils, drinks, etc. only to find they didn't work or my son couldn't tolerate the smell or taste. I wish you well in finding something natural that helps your daughter. To be honest though, I would get a second opinion or reassess when your daughter is older. I think 4 is pretty young for a diagnosis. Best wishes ❤️

[NYCmom2]

I knew my son had ADHD when he was a toddler and had all of the classic hyperactive and impulsive traits to the max. I started taking him to a child psychiatrist at age 4 or 5 leading up to the start of kindergarten.

There are non stimulants they help some people with ADHD like guanfacine.

The only non medications that helped my son were lifestyle: Plenty of sleep and good sleep hygiene, healthy diet with high protein and low sugar meals. Maintaining a schedule, creating healthy and consistent habits to support getting ready in the morning and night, around school and homework, screen time etc. plenty of outdoor play.

We held off on stimulants until around the end of 1st grade when he was falling behind and struggling with impulsivity and inattention. Even in a small, inclusion classroom with two teachers he was not meeting his potential until we got his medication right. Now he feels smart and in-control of himself. He was also better able to sit for his meetings with his therapist and learn more emotional tools to express himself.

[LF2023 in reply to NYCmom2]

Was the child psychiatrist referred by the pediatrician or were you able to just find one on your own through insurance? Thank you so much for the advice!

[NYCmom2 in reply to LF2023]

We found one on our own.

[kdali]

Our favorite so far has been play therapy. Our psychologist was also the one who did the battery of testing for diagnosis, so we had 6hrs of 1:1 interaction before starting play therapy. Our pediatrician does not manage medication for children of this age, and we had a few months wait to see a psychiatrist who does. We tried many supplements leading up to this point and I can't say anything really helped much. We all take vitamin D and omega 3, so 🤷‍♀️ Sometimes when it's a rough emotional day, I will give a few pumps of l-theanine, but it could be just that she believes it helps so she's more keen on doing calm down techniques, like breathing or cosmic yoga. GL!

[LF2023]

I’m trying so hard to find a psychiatrist in our area but there doesn’t seem to be much availability. How long did it take for her to start using the breathing techniques? I’ve been trying to practice with her for a few months, but when she gets worked up which is instantly and very often there is no calming her down she can’t even hear me it feels like. I keep telling myself it just takes time❤️

[kdali in reply to LF2023]

The testing psychologist, after the first hour, made an appointment for us with the psychiatrist (in the same group) and sent a letter to the practitioner 🤯 Perhaps getting in with one will open doors to the other. Your pediatrician may also have a group to refer you to. Our hands have been held a lot.

She started working on breathing at school (4), but at home when we tried to mirror that, she would scream and become more upset, so we moved on to encouraging stomping in place when the tornado of feelings hit. At school she also had distraction tasks, like playing with a weighted animal she likes, or setting a timer for her calm down time. Sometimes at home I would offer her a time out in her room to go calm down, not as punishment, but until she was ready or able to talk about the problem. Maybe by 4.5 she understood how her breathing and heart rate felt during "tornadoes", but Encanto was also a favorite here and saying "clear skies" during a moment went over much better than "slow big breaths" or "blow out the candles". By 5 she started doing some breathing techniques on her own. I coached every single morning, what can we do if we feel x, and praised the answer, or praised her agreeing with my answer(s)...and a ton of praise if she could try to do one of those things in the moment. It feels like it took 100 years 🫣 I hope yours is less reluctant than mine 🙏

[LF2023 in reply to kdali]

thank you soooo much for all the advice I truly appreciate it! I’m going to give all of that a try!! ❤️❤️

[kdali in reply to LF2023]

You're welcome!

[eva2022]

Welcome! It IS overwhelming. I’m glad you are are trying to figure out what works for you and your family!

Our son resists deep breathing. What works for him is pushing on a wall/tight hugs/jumping in the trampoline/swinging. When he is upset, I will often just pick him up and hold him to help him regulate.

We put off stimulant medication for as long as we could. We started with Ritalin-it wasn’t a good fit. Our son became aggressive. Then we tried Adderall and it really works well for our son. He told us (no prompting) that he is learning how to think of only one thing and make friends now.

One thing to consider is that a stimulant is taken in the morning and gone by the evening. Non-stimulants (as I understand it) take longer to leave the body.

[LF2023]

Thank you so much for the advice it’s so comforting to know there are other parents going through the same thing- it seems like everything is trial and error. Are there any non stimulants that you have tried? Any side effects with those?

[HoldingonLou]

Growing pains. I know it's so hard. I found participating in a adhd support group for families was really helpful for us as parents. It gave us a present sounding board to talk with other parents and let the kids interact together. Found out about it thru our county services board. Does anyone else in your family have kids with adhd, maybe your siblings? I find it helpful to ask family about experiences and challenges they have had. Blessings

[LF2023]

that’s a great idea! I’m going to look into that- i didn’t know that was a thing a community group! ❤️